Moosomin Dairy Queen wins Miracle Maker award
Moosomin DQ first in Saskatchewan to ever receive national award
March 9, 2026, 9:18 am
Ashley Bochek
Joanne and Morgan Kerr, owners of Moosomin Dairy Queen, along with their colleagues, are thrilled and beyond thankful for being recognized for their community support and engagement with this year’s Miracle Maker Award—the one franchise recognized across Canada and the first time the award has been presented in Saskatchewan.
Dairy Queen Franchisee Business Manager Ronda Schmitke and Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation representative Jada Kook visited Moosomin Thursday to award Moosomin Dairy Queen with the National Miracle Maker Award.
Last year Moosomin Dairy Queen raised $42,000 for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital on Miracle Treat Day.
Joanne and Morgan Kerr say they were shocked with the award.
“It was really a surprise,” said Joanne. “It is really nice to be acknowledged and appreciated for the effort that was put into it. The recognition is very much appreciated. It was unimaginable. It still is. I didn’t even imagine that this would happen one day.”
Morgan adds, “It is motivating to receive this award. We want to do more, do better, sell more for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital and for the Children’s Miracle Network.”
Morgan says Moosomin Dairy Queen was beyond excited to receive the award Thursday.
“Everyone was so excited. The staff was so excited, and we are proud of them. It is a lot of hard work. We are going to try to display the award in the restaurant for everyone to see because I think that would be neat for the community to see.”
The Miracle Maker Award recognizes a Dairy Queen franchisee who engages in their community and supports their local Children Miracle Network Hospital.
“The Miracle Maker award recognizes outstanding fundraising and community support for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals like the Jim Pattison Hospital in Saskatoon through Dairy Queen locations,” Morgan said. “It is really about recognizing and celebrating DQs that make a meaningful difference for kids and families who need medical care.”
Joanne adds, “The Miracle Maker award isn’t just about Miracle Treat Day. It’s also recognition for some of the other contributions that we’ve made. We contribute to the Thrift Store, the Food Bank, and Wapella for their library fund, Rocanville as well, all the surrounding communities we support in any way we can. If it involves kids, you can count on us.”
First in Saskatchewan to receive national award
Moosomin Dairy Queen is the first Dairy Queen in Saskatchewan to be awarded the Miracle Maker Award by Dairy Queen Canada.
“The Miracle Maker award is a national award and the Town of Moosomin and Moosomin Dairy Queen is the very first recipient in Saskatchewan to receive the award,” explained Morgan. “It’s a national recognition, so for a location like Moosomin to win is incredibly special, and something the whole community should be very proud of. It shows that even small towns can come together and make a big difference. We are so very fortunate to live in an amazing and supportive community. The people of Moosomin and surrounding area have always showed up for us. Moosomin is a unique place. Look at our hospital, our airport, and soon I have no doubt there will be a CT Scanner here as well.
“It is also our way of being able to give back. It gives us the opportunity to be a small part in something that is very big,” Joanne said.
Motivation for future Miracle Treat Days
Morgan says the award motivates Moosomin Dairy Queen to continue their efforts in supporting their community and local Children’s Hospital Network.
“Winning the Miracle Maker award has been a goal because it represents the impact that our team and community can make together,” she says. “Every dollar raised helps children receive lifesaving care, and that is something we are really proud to be a part of. We work very hard, our team works very hard, all of our volunteers, it is all about working together and it shows you what our community can accomplish, and we are proud to be from a place where community matters. It is pretty incredible to have Jada of the Jim Pattison Foundation write on our behalf to Dairy Queen Canada about our hard work and recommending us for this award. It only motivates us to continue working harder for our community and the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital.”
“We were fortunate enough to be able to take a tour of the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon and to me, that has had a really big impact of actually being able to see some of the things they do, it just makes me want to raise even more for them,” said Joanne. “It was never about the award for me, it was always about giving back and how we can be a part to help children and families in need.”
Morgan adds, “We can now spread the word on what the money raised goes toward to buy for the hospital, because we’ve learned what it goes to, and we can share it with people and motivate them and help them understand where the money raised for Miracle Treat Day is going.”
Morgan and Joanne say it is important to them to continue to raise funds for the provincial children’s hospital that offers lifesaving care for children.
“Winning the award is a huge honor and we want to continue growing our fundraising efforts and finding new ways to involve the community. The goal is to keep making a difference in the lives of children by supporting the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation in Saskatoon every year on Miracle Treat Day. It’s important to raise funds that go to the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital because you don’t have to look very far—I know at least 10 people that have received care from the Jim Pattison Hospital and it is truly a life changing facility for families across Saskatchewan and we are very lucky to have it. That is why I do it,” said Morgan. “Those are our customers, our neighbours, our families, our friends, our community.”
Joanne adds, “I’ve seen a lot of families who have had to give up their jobs, move to a different location—Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton—to receive treatment. I have seen the impact it has had on people’s lives by having to travel for care and being away from family, being away from friends, and having a sick child on top of that.”
“I can’t even imagine that, so just being able to do something, anything little that can help in that respect, is why I do it. The longer the hospital is in operation in Saskatchewan, the more people get to utilize it and more people learn what it can do for sick children and their families.”
Morgan says she enjoys Miracle Treat Day each August. “Miracle Treat Day is my favorite day at work and one of the most meaningful days of the year. It’s incredible to see the community come together, family, businesses, and customers all supporting a cause that helps kids across Saskatchewan get the care they need.”
Thankful for community and staff
Moosomin Dairy Queen is grateful for the support from Moosomin and surrounding communities to raise significant funds for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital each Miracle Treat Day and their staff that make the day possible.
“This award belongs to our staff who worked tirelessly organizing and preparing the Blizzards, to our volunteers who came in and helped make pre-orders, to our delivery drivers who drove all over the country to deliver Blizzards—even the one who almost got a speeding ticket—and lastly to the businesses and customers in our community and all the communities around us that also support Miracle Treat Day. This award truly belongs to everybody who participated in some way, big or small.”
Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation thankful for fundraising
Jada Kook of the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation awarded Moosomin Dairy Queen with the Miracle Maker Award last Thursday.
Kook says she has grown to learn more about Moosomin Dairy Queen’s contributions to its community and advocacy work for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital.
“I am a community engagement manager at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation. I manage our corporate partnerships with all Children Miracle Network partners which includes Dairy Queen and specifically I work with the Dairy Queens in Saskatchewan and supporting their fundraising initiatives whether that is throughout the year or specifically Miracle Treat Day,” she says.
“Moosomin Dairy Queen hit our radar a couple years ago. We are always monitoring how our stores are doing and how we can support them when they are fundraising, and they caught my eye, because for a small rural centre, they had very large fundraising results starting in 2023. So, we reached out to them, and we wanted to learn their trick on how they were raising a great amount of funds in a smaller rural town, and from there my relationship with the owners grew and we’ve been able to support them in their fundraising and then also thank them and the community and raise awareness for the amazing work they are doing.”
Kook submitted a recommendation to Dairy Queen Corporate for Moosomin Dairy Queen to be the Miracle Maker Award recipients of 2026.
“The Miracle Maker Award is a Dairy Queen initiative across all of North America where Dairy Queen Corporate recognizes a franchisee that is going above and beyond in their community and that is outside of just Miracle Treat Day. It is about a franchisee that does extraordinary work in their community every day to enhance their community and be community leaders. So, I’ve heard about the award for years through work and I’ve been trying to put forward Moosomin DQ for a few years because they do so much work for us. The amount of funds they raise is quadruple what other locations are sometimes raising and they are a smaller center. I’ve worked with them to learn what else they do on top of Miracle Treat Day, and the list of community initiatives they do in Moosomin and the surrounding area just goes on and on. I knew they were the best fitting for the award, and I knew I had to write the best submission I could so they could win this year. When I submitted it, Dairy Queen said hands down this is who should win this year because of the amount of work they do for the community.”
Kook says she was excited to award Moosomin Dairy Queen with the award and visit the community for the first time.
“I was very excited to be a part of handing Moosomin DQ the award on Thursday and be a part of it because it has been a long time coming and it is so well deserved. Also, I’m just so proud to have a rural community, and one from Saskatchewan, be the recipient of this award. It is awarded across Canada each year, so it is a big deal to be awarded this.
“They are getting the award because of all the collective things they do in the community, but of course I am speaking on behalf of the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, and the work they do for us is above and beyond. For one Dairy Queen to raise $42,000 in one day on Miracle Treat Day for the children’s hospital in Saskatoon is huge, and we are really grateful that they do that advocacy work in Moosomin. Having southern partners in the province to advocate for us that the children’s hospital is a provincial hospital for all kids is amazing, and it is great to have them as advocates, fundraisers, supporters, and they are just the best group.”
Dairy Queen says award speaks to community support
Dairy Queen representative Ronda Schmitke was also in Moosomin Thursday to help award Moosomin Dairy Queen with the Miracle Maker Award.
“It’s huge for not only the franchisee, but the community as well, because the community also supports the local Dairy Queen and the franchisee. There is one Miracle Maker Award in Canada awarded each year. So, the town of Moosomin was the one who was selected this year,” she says.
Schmitke explains the process for being chosen for this award. “Dairy Queen looks at what all the franchisees have done, and based on results and what happens in the community, then we get to put someone’s name forward and get them picked, and all the work that Moosomin Dairy Queen has done, not just this year, but throughout the years, honestly, I’ve been trying to get them the award for last two years because they’ve been working very hard on Miracle Treat Day and have raised a significant amount each year, and support community initiatives. It’s pretty special.”
